Three Cheers for Orkney

[peter scott]

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190327...link.email

[ppppenguin]

There are many competing technologies for large scale storage of electricity. From huge lithium batteries to compressed air. Hydrogen is unusual because it produces a protable fuel that can be used in a similar way to conventional gas and oil.

Will it become mainstream or remain a niche?

We've got a few hydrogen powered buses in London. Don't think their fuel is being made from fully renewable resoruces, Looks like the RV1 route ma not survive.

[Refugee]

They have been having the same problem we have had locally.
They put too many solar panels up and getting the power into the grid became a problem.
Something had to let go.
We ended up with roasted copper marinaded vinyl.
It was toe drop cable from the overhead lines.

[ppppenguin]

Ref, that's just bad engineering. I'm sure the local 11kV network was capable of absorbing that amount of power if they'd bothered to use thicker string. Up in Orkney they just don't have enough connectivity to the rest of the grid to take all the power.

[Refugee]

The solar panels have a sign proclaiming 8MW and it was only a 100A drop cable.
It roasted.

[radioman]

It's great to see that they're making use of this technology up in Orkney - it's a 'no-brainer' as far as I'm concerned. I believe that hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are the way forward.

Andy

[peter scott]

- it's a 'no-brainer' as far as I'm concerned. I believe that hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are the way forward.

Andy

Here, here!

https://ssl.toyota.com/mirai/stations.html

Peter

[pamphonica]

I saw the Mirai at the last NPL open day and was impressed with its simplicity. I was very attracted to it, as I have a real technical dislike of hybrids. They seem such a bodge, an interim stage. You carry around 800kg of cells in a Prius, for a range extension of only 30km, and the fuel economies claimed are far from real! However, unless you live in San Francisco, Los Angeles or produce hydrogen yourself (like NPL), those lovely hydrogen fuel-cell cars, able to recharge for a 300km range in less than 10 minutes are pretty much useless in the UK for now.

Prof David MacKay, Regius Professor of Engineering at Cambridge wrote a wonderful, must-read (and completely free to read) scientific analysis of alternative energy implications: http://www.withouthotair.com/about.html.
Do read it, at least the 10-page synopsis. Unfortunately, he reckons hydrogen powered vehicles are a dud - using 254kWh per 100km vs about 80kWh/100km for fossil fuels and 15kWh/100km for a Tesla.

Back to the drawing board for now...

-Jeremy

[ppppenguin]

Jeremy, I think you have added a zero to the Prius battery weight. It's more like 80kg. Big batteries are for pure electric cars. For example a Tesla 85kWh battery is 540kg.

[pamphonica]

Ah yes - Duh! 80 not 800kg! Still like taking a hefty elderly relative with you everywhere you go...
J